Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 1998/12/13

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Subject: Re: [Leica] 75 summilux...the 300B of photography?
From: "Mikiro Mori" <arbos3@hotmail.com>
Date: Sun, 13 Dec 1998 22:25:28 CET

Isaac H Crawford wrote:

>I've been mucking about with this lens for a couple of months, and it
>reminds me a lot of the famous Westren Electric 300B vaccum tube in 
many
>ways. First off, if you're not familier with the tube, it has a 
reputation
>for sonic purity, not necessairly on the test bench, but to the 
ear...things
>just sound "right". I've noticed the 75 summilux has an amazing ability 
to
>be accurate, but not brutal with people...a highly commendable aspect. 
The
>300b is similsar in its ability to be accurate, but not harsh or
>clinical...does anyone else see the comparison?
>
>BTW, does the 50 summicron and the 35 summilux-m (non-aspheric) "look" 
like
>the 75? You know, in its bokeh, its look wide open, and its color 
rendition
>(especially wide open)?

Hi, Isaac,

Interesting analogy.  To tell you the truth, my ears have never 
experienced the "vintage" 300B tubes, and my gear is now a Quad77 
solid-state amplifier.  But I know that I enjoy "recorded" music the 
best with a tube-amplifier one of my friends made.  I am not sure if it 
has 300Bs.  This may be a repeated topic in LUG, but I do think that 
high fidelity and good (comfortable) reproduction are not always 
accomplihsed at the same time and that it seems be also the case with 
photo equipment.  Yes, I see such double accomplishment in 75mm Summilux 
(a little less in 50 mm Summicron). I am now very much interested in 
Summilux 35 mm non-ASPH, which is adored by some but exchanged without 
slightest hesitation with the ASPH version by others.  My Summicron 35 
mm ASPH is stunningly HI-FI and appears inorganic but, fortunately, in 
an agreeable fashion.  My two cent-worth impression.

Mikiro
Strasbourg, Alsace
******************
Visit my gallery at
http://members.tripod.com/arbos3/cigogne/index.html



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